Horses and a Free Book

One of my current WIPs, THE HORSEMAN, is a romance in which the hero is a horse trainer extraordinaire. Some even think he's a horse whisperer. This is the same book I wrote about a while back where the heroine has suffered a rattlesnake bite.

The rattlesnake bite caused me to have to do a lot of research, but horse whispering is causing me to have to do even more.

A few real live horse whisperers are around. One of them is Buck Brannaman on whose personality and occupation the character of Tom Booker in the book and movie, "The Horse Whisperer," was based.

In the book I wrote a few years ago, THE LOVE OF A LAWMAN, the heroine is a horse whisperer.  I did quite a bit of research about this phenomenon back then, but since then, I've done more. One of the things I've done is watch the movie about Buck Brannaman and I've read his book. I've also watched several documentaries about wild horses and why they behave as they do. Horse society and herd hierarchy is interesting information and you can't keep from being drawn to it.


Nor can you keep from being drawn to horses. It appears that the most important element is earning a horse's trust, which is no small feat. Since they are prey animals, they instinctively know that human beings are predators and and they have an innate fear of them. As a matter of survival, they want to get along with people. Basically, they already know how to do the things that people want them to do, but they have to be taught when to do it and that it's okay for them to do it. Those who are successful horse trainers and whisperers have the patience and interest in establishing the trust that is necessary for a good outcome. Some of them believe that problem horses are an extension of problem owners or owners with problems.

People who know horses claim they are just as smart as dogs and just as loyal, up to giving their lives for a human being they trust.

I've never had a horse of my own, but from the research I've done, I wish I did. I wish I had been involved with horses all of my life. I wish I were a person that a horse could trust. 

By the way, THE LOVE OF A LAWMAN is currently free at Amazon and will be for 4 more days.

A Case for Audio Books.....

I love audio books. I listen to them while I’m driving. In fact, if I’m really interested in a story, I sometimes hate to stop driving.

I also listen to them if I’m waiting and waiting and waiting in a doctor or dentist’s office. Much more interesting than reading one of the table magazines that’s full of nothing and covered with germs. I used to take my Kindle to medical appointments, but now I take my MP3 player.

I listen anywhere I am where I’m going to be sitting and waiting.

These days, you can buy an MP3 player as cheap as $15 and a pair of headphones for under $10. That makes it easy and affordable to listen. (I remember when my sister bought a used MP3 player on eBay for more than $100.)

Or if you have a newer model car, it might have a place to plug in a listening device and you can listen through the radio.

Or I could listen on my smartphone if I wanted to. I have the audible.com app that I downloaded from Google Play and all I have to do is download a book through it. If you have an iPhone, you can go through the iTunes store.

These days, I don’t have much time for reading. The only time I’m able to do it is at night before I go to sleep, but unfortunately, I’m often too tired to stay awake very long. So listening to audio books enables me to keep “reading”.

Audio books used to be a rarity restricted to only the bestselling or old favorite authors, but thanks to Amazon, they are becoming more readily available from all authors. If an author is lucky enough to get a great narrator who sounds as if she/he understands the story, gets the dialogue right and has a dramatic flair, all the better. It’s sort of like watching a TV show or a movie without the picture.

Currently, I’m listening to a Suzanne Brockman book that has both a male and female narrator. This is interesting. First time I’ve run across one with two narrators.

And that brings me to the fact that I’m in the process of making THE LOVE OF A COWBOY into an audio book. I hope to see it released in July. It will be available on Amazon, iTunes and Audible.com. 

This book won a big contest that enabled me to sell it to a publisher. It was written and originally published some years ago, but it's still one of my best-selling books. If you like alpha heroes and heroines and a dramatic story, you might enjoy listening to it. I was lucky to get a narrator who does an excellent job. So if you like audio books yourself or if you’ve never tried one, give it a shot. Or check to see if your favorite author's books are available in audio.

Life is Hard...Especially if You Write Books

When I first started writing years ago, I gave up once a week. I wrote a page and enrolled in another writing class. Or read a book. I threw away more material than I saved. Someone posted a picture on my FB page of a desk, a typewriter and crushed and discarded paper half-way to the ceiling. That was me. 

That is still me. Only now, I'm not discarding paper. I simply have a worn-out "Delete" key on my keyboard. Writing a novel is a hard task. Perhaps the hardest thing I’ve ever done. And there are many slings and arrows in the writing game. As many negatives as positives.Yet, for all of its challenges, I love writing. I'm passionate about the written word. Very little gives me more pleasure than reading a good story well written by an author with a powerful voice. It inspires me to try to do the same thing.

Somewhere along the way, I finally overcame that urge to give up until the past year or so. Now, seventeen books later, writing a book is still hard and I wonder if what I'm putting out now is any better than my very first book. For sure, my passion for it is waning. I’ve had to ask myself many times if it’s worth it. 

Some part of me must think it is because I continue to take classes and read books on the craft. In the writing biz, you can never let yourself stop learning. Toward that end, I’ve even broken down and bought a new laptop.

And as further proof that I haven't totally given up, I’ve gone ahead and had the cover designed for THE CATTLEMAN, Book #2 of my SONS  OF TEXAS trilogy and sequel to THE TYCOON. Knowing myself, I won’t spend the money on cover design, then not finish the dang book. God willing, I'll have it out by June.

The setting is North Central Texas. The characters are complex and flawed, but I’ve tried to make them heroic at the same time.

I’ve managed to get the blurb written, although this is probably not the final iteration.

“Ever since a disastrous marriage at a young age, Pickett Lockhart has kept his emotions under tight control. These days, he’s preoccupied anyway with learning to be the general manager of the vast Double-Barrel Ranch in Drinkwell, Texas. Still, his older brother’s marriage and looming fatherhood has aroused a distant envy within him to have a wife, kids and home of his own and he has a willing woman who’s in love with him. But he can’t get married, even to someone he loves. His divorce cost him and his wealthy family a bundle, leaving him with a paralyzing fear of getting into another financial trap.

Amanda Breckenridge has been in love with Pic for as long as she can remember. They were high school sweethearts until he eloped with someone he met in college. After that, Amanda left Drinkwell. Her father’s illness brought her back to town and a revived relationship with Pic. But Pic’s mother has never thought Amanda good enough for him. Knowing Pic is drawn to beautiful women, she tries to destroy their relationship by sending a friend’s stunning daughter to the ranch to tempt Pic. Can Amanda and Pic’s bond survive his mother’s plotting? Or the unexpected career opportunity that falls into Amanda’s lap?”

So, there it is. Except for being sexy and steamy and having a happy ending, it isn’t your typical romance. Most of my books aren’t. Let me know what you think of this one.

A Sneak Peak at Chasing Air by DeLaine Roberts

Chasing Air

New Release October 21, 2013

 

 

Here's the blurb:

 

Accidentally marrying into the mob, Dr. Judith Bellonte Donati staged her death with the help of the FBI before the hired hit-man could finish the job. With a new name as Dr. Makenzie Holder and a new life, she struggles daily with the loss of connection with her family and the constant lurking of old ghosts from her past.

Gorgeous millionaire developer, Jonathan Bain offers her everything she wants in the way family, but his demanding demeanor is a reminder of the life she left behind.

Can Makenzie overlook her jaded past and give Jonathan a chance at redemption or will a chance encounter in the ER with Detective Ryler Buchanan bring about the love for a lifetime?

Chasing Air: A hot romance with a side of turbulence!

 

The Book Trailer

 

Chasing Air book trailer on YouTube

 

CHAPTER ONE 

“Mmm, hello, Dr. Holder speaking.” Makenzie spoke in a sleep deprived fog because of a busy night in the ER. She finally had a chance during a calm spell to go lie down for a few minutes and had drifted off quickly. Sleep had been a luxury the past week while she worked double shifts to cover for a colleague on vacation.

“Doc, Metro is rolling this way in full trauma code with a kid shot in the chest. I’ve notified the trauma team.” Veronica’s normally calm manner was full of anxiety.

“Thanks, Veronica. Please let Dr. Trynn know. He’ll be pissy when you wake him up because he just left an hour or so ago, but he’ll get over it.” She quickly hung up the phone, grabbed her hairbrush and pulled her hair into a ponytail.

The night had finally quieted down in this busy little hospital just north of Dallas. Accepting the position over nine months ago, she thought that the small size and location of the facility might make for less activity so she opted for the night shift, hoping for a little trauma excitement from time to time, but having no idea  it was going to be all night excitement almost every night. But truthfully, she loved it.

When she approached the trauma room, Makenzie hadn’t expected the scene that faced her. The paramedics unloaded a young female patient, a victim of a drive by shooting on the freeway. 

“Doc, large caliber gunshot wound to the upper left chest. She hasn’t breathed on her own since we arrived on scene,” the paramedic said. He continued to give Makenzie the report while they moved the girl to the trauma bed. Makenzie looked at the girl and her heart caught. Blonde hair, creamy skin and clear blue eyes was surrounded by medical equipment. So young and innocent, practically angelic.

“We coded her twice on the way in,” the paramedic continued to report.

The team worked with the girl for quite some time trying to stabilize her enough for surgery.

“Can I help you,” Veronica asked the woman.

“Yes, my daughter. She’s here somewhere.”

“Ma’am, who’s your daughter?”

“I don’t know where she is.”

“Yes, I see. What’s your daughter’s name? Maybe I can help.” Veronica held the woman’s hand in an effort to console her.

“Serena. Serena Turner. Is she here?”

“Yes ma’am, come with me. Dr. Holder will talk to you in a few minutes.”

Once Serena was stabilized, the team took her up to surgery, leaving Makenzie to finish up the paperwork. She stood in the trauma room making notes from the monitor strips. Deep in thought, she didn’t realize that someone was standing in the room.

“Are you Dr. Holder?” the gentleman asked.

Makenzie turned around to find a man and woman staring at her. “Yes, I am. How can I help you?”

“Serena is our daughter. Can you tell us how she is? They asked us to sign papers for surgery, but we want to know how she really is.”

 Somehow in the midst of everything, the parents wandered out of the private family waiting room and found Serena’s trauma room without being noticed. They were completely unaware that they were walking into a bloody and cluttered trauma room.

“I can understand that you both have a million questions and I...,” she tried to find her compassion through her anger at such a horrible act, but she was rudely cut off.

“Mr. and Mrs. Turner, I need to ask you a few questions about the car that carried the people doing the shooting,” he rudely interrupted Makenzie as she spoke to them about their daughter’s life, barely hanging in the balance.

“Please excuse us just one moment,” Makenzie uttered under her breath as she squeezed the mother’s hands. She turned to the officer and grabbed him by the shoulder.

“Officer, please come with me.” She escorted him and his partner to a tiny private room behind the admissions desk. The room was tight even for one person, three people made it more than uncomfortable.

Makenzie slammed the door and spoke in a low, but very controlled, angry tone. “The next time you interrupt me with my patient or a family, you’ll need to seek treatment for yourself. They’re more than likely going to say good-bye to their daughter tonight. Any questions you have for them are less important at the moment. My ER, my rules. And stay out of the way of patient care. Are we clear?”

Ryler noticed everything about her. She stood with her hands on her hips, her chest protruding forward and fire blazing from her dark eyes, aimed right at him. Even with her svelte frame, she postured towards him like a linebacker ready to rumble.

“Whoa Rye, looks like there’s a new sheriff in town and she has your number,” Detective Christopher Maxwell teased his partner, but then quickly lost his smile when Makenzie cut her eyes at him and he realized she wasn’t playing.

“Excuse me, there’s no room for humor here,” Makenzie barked.

“Chris, shut up. I’m truly sorry, Dr. Holder. We’re just trying to get an adequate description of the car. We have varying accounts from witnesses and I need a clear understanding of the car and shooter.” He stopped to raise his hands in an act of surrender. “It won’t happen again. And, it’s ‘detective.’ Detective Ryler Buchanan and my partner, Detective Chris Maxwell.”

He softly smiled as he extended his hand to Makenzie. She wanted nothing to do with him however, and quickly turned her back to him so that she could exit the tiny room. When she moved, she felt his breath close to her neck, causing her senses to alert. She got a whiff of his clean, masculine scent. It was more than she wanted to think about at that very moment.

Makenzie shook her head and left the room without looking at or speaking to the detectives again. She joined the family of the young girl, completely dismissing Ryler and his partner.

“Wow, Rye, she’s a total babe. Did you see the way she looked at you? That gal is smokin’ hot and she obviously works out. I bet she could kick your ass.”

Ryler used his elbow to nudge his partner, who was enjoying a laugh at his expense. “Dude, cut it out. She was right, we were outta line. Shit. I’ll be lucky if the family doesn’t report me to the department.” He paused, showing remorse for his actions. He pulled out a chair and removed his suit jacket. “Grab some coffee. I have a feeling it’s gonna be a long night.”

They helped themselves to stale coffee from the break room and continued working the case.

Dr. Horton returned to the family upstairs, waiting outside the surgery department. She found them huddled together and praying silently, awaiting any news of the young girl, Serena. When she approached them, Mrs. Turner stood and rushed her, anxiously anticipating her words. Her face wet with tears. Her eyes swollen. Quiet sobs came from the crowd that had now gathered to support this precious family.

“Mr. and Mrs. Turner, I don’t have any news at the moment. I just came to check on you both and ask if there was anything that I could do for you or get you while you wait. It may be awhile, would you like some coffee? Can I call someone for you?”

The parents nodded, their faces wrought with fear. Mrs. Turner gripped the Bible in her hands. Mr. Turner had his arm tightly around his wife’s waist, supporting her small frame.

Makenzie phoned the nurses in the ER, letting them know her location should they need her. She also inquired about the rude detectives and confirmed that they were still perched in her temporary office.

 

Just great, I’d like to go rest, but my lounge is occupied by Detective Knowitall, she thought to herself.

She decided to remain with the family, avoiding the detectives and their inquiring minds.

Why is it that police officers are always so sexy? she thought to herself. She shook her head, trying to rid herself of such thoughts. Those two were both gorgeous, but they reeked of trouble and the last thing she needed was a detective nosing around in her business. There were too many skeletons to keep hidden. But Detective Buchanan’s breath on her skin, his scent... it stirred something in her.

After several hours, Dr. Trynn came out to speak with the family. “Sweet Serena is holding on at the moment,” he said.

He didn’t make any unreal promises to them, but the next twenty-four hours would be telling. “Give the nurses a few minutes to get her settled, then you both should go in together to see her.” He hugged the parents in an act of compassion. He turned, “Dr. Holder, can you join me in a walk to the ER?”

“Sure, Dr. Trynn.”

“Makenzie, you’re settling well in the ER. The teams love you and have given you a great deal of praise over the last nine months. The board met recently and decided that we would like to make you an offer of Chief of Emergency Medicine. I was saving this conversation for Monday’s staff meeting, but since we’re both awake, we might as well discuss it, if you have the time?”

Makenzie looked up at Dr. Trynn and smiled. Finally, a Chief position and a place to call her own. No more temporary doctoring. “Phillip, I’m thrilled. It’s an amazing offer and I’d love to accept.” She shook his hand and started to walk away.

“Makenzie, there are a couple of things that I need to clear up, maybe you can answer a few questions I have for you. And don’t you have some questions for me?” His tone made her stop dead in her tracks. Questions? What questions would he have? The thought of him having questions made her heart race and her breath quicken. Geez, it was amazing that she could start sweating so quickly.

“Sure, I have a question. When will I see my million-dollar pay raise?” she asked in a tease. Her intent was to divert his questions if she could.

“Well, I can’t say that there’s a million-dollar package,” he smiled humbly, “but you’ll see an increase in your salary for sure. Your schedule will change as well with most weekends off, one of the luxuries of being the Chief ER Physician. I’ll have Lola in administration contact you regarding your faculty headshot. But I’m most curious about your resume’.” He paused and raised an eyebrow to Makenzie. “You were Chief Surgery Resident and had a successful Surgery Fellowship at Columbia. Why are you not exploring your obvious talents?”

Makenzie took a deep breath and paused to construct a convincing answer. “Phillip, things have happened in my life that triggered a desire to work in the ER. I love what I do and I get to set the patients up for a great surgeon like yourself. Besides, I get to work my shift and go home. I love truly being able to treat patients, not being on call and dealing with all the healthcare reform stuff.” She smiled and walked away, back to her private quarters in the ER.

Makenzie realized that she wouldn’t be able to keep curious minds away forever. Lead ER Physician was a great position, but it meant that they would put her picture and information on the hospital website. This meant unprotected exposure. “Shit, how do I get out of this one,” she mumbled to herself aloud.

After a few minutes of thought, she began to doubt her decision to accept. A great opportunity offered an even greater risk. Her shift would end soon and she decided to mull over the idea with a hot bath when she got home.

Her thoughts about the hot bath interrupted by someone opening her door. “Sorry to bother you, Mak, but can you please come speak with the detectives so they will get away from my desk?” Veronica asked with a prickly attitude. For a charge nurse, she was usually very restrained, but the detectives must’ve gotten on her nerves and too much in her way.

“Sure Veronica, I’m right behind you.” Mak walked to the control desk and found herself face to face with the sexy law man.

“Officer, hmm, sorry, Detective Buchanan, the patient made it through surgery, but she’s barely hanging on by life support. She’s in ICU and her parents are with her now.” Taking a note pad from the counter, she scribbled a phone number down and handed it to Detective Chris Maxwell, avoiding contact with Ryler completely. “If you call the ICU desk, they’ll ask if the family wants to speak with you. Is there anything else that I can do for you?” Makenzie made eye contact with Veronica, then David, one of the other nurses on duty sitting just to her right behind the desk. She could tell by Veronica’s demeanor that she had something to say and was patiently waiting her turn.

“No ma’am. We’ve pieced together a description of the car and shooter. There was another incident on Central Expressway just moments ago. Fortunately, no one was injured at that scene. We need to move on our end, but if you hear anything about Serena, please call us.” Ryler spoke softly and she appreciated the change in his demeanor. She noticed his bright blue eyes twinkled when he looked at her.

Ryler handed Makenzie his business card. He noticed that she studied the card, while he took a good long look at her. His curiosity about her peaked, but he chose to walk away quietly.

When the officers were clearly safely beyond hearing range, Makenzie turned to Veronica and David, but she was verbally accosted before she was able to speak.

“Whew, that man has the hots for you, Mak. I know for a fact that he’s single. Um, hmm, single and gorgeous.” Veronica snickered as she picked up a chart.

“You called me back down here so that he could see me again, didn’t you?” Makenzie asked her with bantering tone.

Veronica didn’t answer, she simply snickered.

David motioned for her to come close. “Mak, Ryler is a good guy. He’s had a hard life and sometimes he gets pushy trying to do his job, but he’s really good at it. He felt really bad about interrupting you with the Turner family. Don’t judge him too harshly, give him a chance.”

“Guys, I just met him. But for the record, I’m not available and not looking to be, so drop it. I don’t want to hear any more about it, if you don’t mind.” Makenzie raised her hand to silence the personal exchange. “Now, do you have any patients for me to see?” She took on a commanding posture.

“Yep, I’ve got a gentleman who needs stitches in his foot in room five,” David cocked a grin and handed Makenzie the chart.

“Seriously, who needs stitches in their foot at not even five o’clock in the morning?”

“Some dad stepping on his daughter’s tea set in the dark before his morning coffee,” David uttered under his breath as he accompanied Makenzie into the next room.

They both tried hard to stifle their laughs.

 

DeLaine Roberts, Best Selling Author

Chasing Air, Launching October 21, 2013

 

 

One lucky commenter will receive an advanced copy eBook of Chasing Air as soon as it's ready at Amazon.



 

 

 



 



Giveaway and New Book

By Anna Jeffrey

Hi, everybody,

A lot is going on with Smart Girls! First, there’s a 99-cent sale underway at Amazon. We’ve put together a boxed set consisting of 9 books by 8 of the Smart Girls authors, plus Kathy Ivan. That computes to 11-cents per book. Is that a deal or what!

To celebrate the release of the set, a big party with lots of gifts is going on at Facebook. So don’t delay. Get your 99-cent deal, then rush over to the NINE WAYS TO FALL IN LOVE Facebook page and participate in the party. The prizes are awesome! This link will take you there. http://ow.ly/ouIVE

 

Beyond that, I recently released LONE STAR WOMAN as an Anna Jeffrey ebook. This book was originally published as a mass market paperback under the pseudonym of Sadie Callahan.

The setting is a sprawling fictitious ranch, the Circle C, in a fictitious county in the Texas Panhandle. Though the town and county aren’t real, I sort of loosely drew on information from various historical old ranches located in West Texas. There were a dozen or so, founded after the Civil War when Easterners discovered beef and the high demand built the cattle industry. 

I’ve always been fascinated by how those old ranches came to exist in the first place.  They played an integral part in civilizing the West. The beef boom might have lasted only about 10 years, but it left a lasting legacy and a western culture that exists to this day.

I grew up in West Texas, not far from the Pitchfork and the 6666 ranches. Many of the males in my family worked at one or the other of those operations at different times. I have a cookbook compiled by the cook at the Pitchfork back in the fifties and sixties. 

Here’s a short blurb on LONE STAR WOMAN:

“Judith Ann Strayhorn (Jude), the only child of the vast Circle C Ranch’s owner and CEO, is in constant conflict with her father and grandfather. Her greatest desire is to exert her education and influence on the ranch’s operation, but the two men thwart her at every turn. Giving up, she goes outside the Circle C intending to use her trust fund to buy a small spread from a deceased widow’s estate where she can put her ideas on cattle breeding into practice. That is, until she runs headlong into the widow’s heir, Brady Fallon, who has his own plans for the 6-0 Ranch.

Brady is no stranger to Willard County, though he hasn’t been around since childhood. His inheritance needs a lot of work and he needs money to put it back into shape and revive it as a cattle operation. He hires on as a hand at the Circle C Ranch, a move that leads to unexpected benefits for his future as well as unwanted conflict with his boss’s daughter. Can he set his attraction to her aside for his own good?”

If you haven’t read LONE STAR WOMAN, it’s available at Amazon and Kobo. Hope you enjoy it.

Anna Jeffrey